Help for individuals and families

Last updated August 4, 2023 at 1:22 PM

If you’ve been financially affected by COVID-19, you may be eligible for:

Paid sick leave
Healthcare and health insurance
Benefits for families with children
Tax credits
More help

Paid sick leave and other benefits

Paid sick and family leave

You may be eligible for paid sick or family leave if you cannot work because you’re:

Sick or quarantined due to COVID-19
Caring for a family member who is sick or quarantined due to COVID-19
Experiencing vaccine-related side effects

You may also be eligible to use paid sick leave to go to your vaccination appointment.

Supplemental paid sick leave

California’s 2022 COVID-19 supplemental paid sick leave (SPSL) provides up to 40 hours if you’re:

Sick or quarantined
Getting vaccinated or boosted
Caring for a child whose school or place of care is closed

The 2022 SPSL also provides up to 40 more hours if you:

Test positive for COVID-19
Are caring for a family member that tests positive for COVID-19

The 2022 SPSL is available from January 1, 2022 through September 30, 2022. Find details in the FAQs about 2022 SPSL from the California Department of Industrial Relations.

More paid leave info

Visit California’s Safer At Work website to:

Find more information about paid sick leave options
Use the sick leave navigator to find leave that fits your situation

Learn more about paid leave options:

Information about paid sick leave options
Benefits for workers impacted by COVID-19
Compare paid sick and family leave options
Check if you may be eligible for paid family leave

Disability insurance

You may be eligible for disability insurance if you cannot work due to, or are recovering from, COVID-19 illness.

Workers’ compensation

Consider filing a workers’ compensation claim if you:

Were exposed to COVID-19 in the workplace and test positive
Are unable to work due to COVID-19 symptoms

Job-protected leave and reasonable accommodation

Check the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing’s FAQs to learn about:

Job-protected unpaid leave (page 5)
Reasonable accommodation for a disability due to COVID-19 (pages 5-7)

Exclusion pay

Employers must provide you with exclusion pay:

When you’re excluded from the workplace due to exposure that occurred at work
For the days you would have worked during the exclusion period
That is the same as your regular rate of pay
To you no later than the regular payday for the pay period

Healthcare and health insurance

Community health clinics

Community health centers and clinics offer free or low-cost medical services. Find a health center in your area.

Health insurance

Get free or low-cost health insurance through Covered California.

If you received unemployment insurance, you may be able to get health insurance for as low as $1 per month.

All plans cover treatment and vaccines for COVID-19.

How to apply

Covered California and Medi-Cal use the same application. You can submit one application to find out which programs you qualify for.

Apply for Covered California. For free and confidential help, call 800-300-1506 (M-F, 8 am to 6 pm).

Benefits for families with children

CalWORKs cash aid

Families with children may be eligible for cash aid through the CalWORKs program. Families that qualify get monthly cash aid to help pay for housing, food, clothing, and more.

Families that have little cash on hand may qualify. It also depends on other factors like:

Citizenship
Age
Income
Assets

Families that have little or no cash can receive up to $200 immediately if they have a family emergency like:

No food, essential clothing, or place to stay
Urgent medical needs

Apply at BenefitsCal or contact the social services agency in your county.

Childcare

Find out if you qualify for help paying for childcare. You can also call 1-800-KIDS-793. Visit mychildcareplan.org to find a provider in your area.

Tax credits

State tax credits are available to working Californians. This includes undocumented workers. There are also tax credits if you have children.

California Earned Income Tax Credit (CalEITC)

If you’re working for a low wage, you may qualify for the CalEITC.

You’re eligible to claim the CalEITC if you made less than $30,000 in 2021, and you:

Are age 18 or older, or
Have a qualifying dependent, even if you’re under 18.

If you qualify, you could:

Get more money back in your tax refund, or
Owe less in taxes.

The amount you can get depends on:

How much you earned
The size of your family

Individuals can get up to $255. If you have one child, you can get up to $1,698. Larger families qualify for more.

Claiming the CalEITC does not:

Affect other benefits you might receive
Prevent you from qualifying for other benefits
Impact your immigration status

Young Child Tax Credit (YCTC)

You may qualify for the Young Child Tax Credit (YCTC) of up to $1,000 if you:

Qualified for CalEITC, and
Have a child that was under age 6 on December 31, 2021.

If you qualify, you could get a bigger tax refund or a reduced tax bill.

How to get these tax credits

You must file your state tax return to claim both the CalEITC and the YCTC. File your taxes online for free.

If you do not have a Social Security Number, file your taxes with an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN). Find out more about ITINs and how you can get one.